Hypothetical remake of 'The Cleopatras'
by dhobday | created - 17 Feb 2017 | updated - 17 Feb 2017 | PublicI have often thought that someone (HBO?) should remake 'The Cleopatras' – a 1983 BBC TV series that was generally very negatively received. The sets were awful, and the whole thing looked very cheap. But the writing wasn’t that bad, and some of the acting was actually quite good. The thing that annoyed me more than any else about the series was the fact that the characters were all dressed as stereotypical Ancient Egyptians, despite the fact that the Ptolemies were actually Greek, and would have dressed in the style of the Ancient Greeks – the show even acknowledged that they were Greek. However, I have often thought that with a decent budget, a slight rewrite and much more accurate costuming, a remake of The Cleopatras could do very well. It could be a new Game of Thrones. It has the intrigue, the politics, the scheming, the sex, the battles, the complex characters, and it culminates in the reign of Cleopatra, the most famous Ptolemy of them all. A winning recipe, certainly. One afternoon when I was bored, I set about wondering who I would cast if I were in charge of remaking the series. So, for your amusement, here is who I came up with. Please note that this is a list of who I would cast if this hypothetical series were made in 2017; any later and it would require a rethink as some of the younger cast would become too old for the roles I allotted them.
1. Jason Isaacs
Actor | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Jason Isaacs was born in Liverpool. He studied law at Bristol University but fell in love with the theatre and directed, produced and appeared in dozens of productions there, at the National Student Theatre Festival and at the Edinburgh Festival. He graduated in 1985 but then attended the Royal ...
Ptolemy VI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_VI_Philometor
Ptolemy VI didn’t really appear in the original 1983 series, other than a brief flashback shot of him on his deathbed, but if I were to remake the series I would open with the Battle of Antioch in 145 BC, which would mean casting the role of Ptolemy VI.
I would love for a well-known, established actor to cameo as Ptolemy VI and really kick off the series with a bang, hence my choice of Jason Isaacs, who I think sort of bears a resemblance to the real thing.
2. Sebastian Croft
Actor | Heartstopper
Sebastian Croft is a BAFTA nominated actor of English and Greek descent, best known for his portrayal of Ben Hope in Heartstopper (2022). He has been acting professionally since the age of seven.
His BAFTA nomination came in 2019 for the lead role of Atti in Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten ...
Ptolemy VII
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_VII_Neos_Philopator
Originally played by Gary Carp (and called Eupator in the 1983 series, though in fact, Eupator was a separate Ptolemy entirely).
Ptolemy VII only has a small role, as he is murdered by Potbelly in the first episode. However, he initially takes the throne after the death of Ptolemy VI and so needs the gravitas and bearing of one who was raised as a king.
3. Samantha Bond
Actress | GoldenEye
Samantha's early theatre work includes repertory seasons at Coventry, Edinburgh, Derby, and Bristol and 'Never in My Life 'at the Soho Poly in London. After appearing in Kenneth Branagh's production of 'Romeo and Juliet' she went on to West End productions of 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses', 'Man of the...
Cleopatra II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_II_of_Egypt
Originally played by Elizabeth Shepherd.
4. Mark Addy
Actor | The Full Monty
Born in York, on leaving school he started work as a stage hand at York's Theatre Royal and later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art .from 1982 to 1984 after which he joined such companies as Hull Truck Theatre and The Royal National Theatre. He achieved international fame in his film debut...
Ptolemy VIII Potbelly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_VIII_Physcon
Originally played by Richard Griffiths.
After having played a semi-despotic ruler in 'Game of Thrones', I’d love to see Mark Addy progress to full-on tyrant in the role of Ptolemy Potbelly.
5. Natalie Dormer
Actress | Game of Thrones
Natalie Dormer born February 11, 1982 is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Anne Boleyn on the Showtime series The Tudors (2007-10), as Margaery Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012-14), Irene Adler on the CBS series Elementary (2013-15), and as Cressida in the ...
Cleopatra III
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_III_of_Egypt
Originally played by Michelle Newell.
I would hate to think that an actress as good as Natalie Dormer could ever get typecast, but after playing Anne Boleyn in 'The Tudors' and Margaery Tyrell in 'Game of Thrones', it seems almost too easy for me to suggest that she play yet another royal schemer. However, she plays it so well and would be a perfect Cleopatra III.
6. Indira Varma
Actress | Bride & Prejudice
Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series The Canterbury Tales, Rome, Luther, Human Target, and Game of Thrones (as Ellaria Sand). In September 2016, she ...
Cleopatra Thea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_Thea
Originally played by Caroline Mortimer.
7. Richard Coyle
Actor | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Richard Coyle was born and raised in Sheffield, in the UK with his four brothers. He began his career when, studying languages and the history of art at York University (1992 - 1995), he got interested in student drama and traveled to the Edinburgh festival twice.
A decision to raise funds to study ...
Ptolemy IX Chickpea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_IX_Lathyros
Originally played by David Horovitch.
8. James Corden
Producer | The Late Late Show with James Corden
Describing himself as the "chunky unit," James Kimberley Corden was born in Hillingdon, London, England and raised in Buckinghamshire, England, the son of Margaret (Collins), a social worker, and Malcolm Corden, a musician. He studied drama at the Jackie Palmer Stage School before going on to ...
Ptolemy X Alexander
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_X_Alexander_I
Originally played by Ian McNeice.
9. Natalia Tena
Actress | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Natalia Gastiain Tena is an English actress and musician. She played Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series, and the wildling Osha in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011).
Tena is also the lead singer and accordionist of Molotov Jukebox. The band released their debut album Carnival Flower...
Cleopatra IV
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_IV_of_Egypt
Originally played by Sue Holderness.
10. Emily Atack
Actress | Iron Sky: The Coming Race
Actress Emily Atack was born December 18, 1989, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK. Best known for comedy, she has appeared in numerous projects for TV, stage, and screen. In 2016, Emily played Daphne in the movie reprise of Dad's Army (2016) alongside Bill Nighy and Toby Jones. In 2017 Emily ...
Cleopatra V Selene
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_Selene_I
Originally played by Prue Clarke.
Not sure quite why I picture Emily Atack as Cleopatra Selene. Possibly because there is a slight resemblance, I think, between her and Prue Clarke, who played her originally! Beyond that I can offer no logical reason, but I do think she might suit the role.
11. Charlotte Hope
Actress | Allied
Charlotte Hope was born in Salisbury on October 15, 1991. Her father is a barrister who used to be a jockey and her mother worked in PR before becoming housewife. At 18, she went to study French and Spanish at Oxford University, where she acted in a lot of university theatre. Whilst there, she ...
Cleopatra Tryphaena
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryphaena
Originally played by Amanda Boxer.
12. Oona Chaplin
Actress | The Longest Ride
Oona Chaplin is a Spanish actress. Her mother is Geraldine Chaplin. She is also the granddaughter of English film actor Charlie Chaplin, and great-granddaughter of American playwright Eugene O'Neill. She is best known for playing Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones and Zilpha Geary ...
Berenice III
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenice_III_of_Egypt
Originally played by Pauline Moran.
13. Freddie Fox
Actor | The Three Musketeers
Frederick Samson Robert Morice Fox is an English actor, director, and producer. His is known for the roles as singer Marilyn in the BBC's Boy George biopic Worried About the Boy (2010), James Leighton-Masters in The Riot Club (2014), Freddie Baxter in Channel 4 hit series Cucumber (2015) and Banana...
Ptolemy XI Alexander the Younger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_XI_Alexander_II
Originally played by David Purcell.
As soon as I began thinking in my head of potential cast members for a new Cleopatras, Freddie Fox instantly came to me as Ptolemy Alexander the Younger. He is exactly how I imagine this particular Ptolemy to have looked.
14. Matthew Macfadyen
Actor | Succession
David Matthew Macfadyen was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, to Meinir (Owen), a drama teacher and actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil executive. He is of Scottish and Welsh descent. Because of his father's career, he spent at least part of his childhood in Indonesia, before finishing his ...
Ptolemy XII Auletes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_XII_Auletes
Originally played by Adam Bareham.
15. Amanda Hale
Actress | Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Amanda Hale was born in 1982 in Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), Bright Star (2009) and Ripper Street (2012).
Cleopatra VI Tryphaena
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_V_of_Egypt
Originally played by Emily Richard.
16. Blake Ritson
Actor | RocknRolla
Blake Ritson started acting when he was 13, debuting in White Chameleon at the Royal National Theatre, directed by Sir Richard Eyre for which he received rave reviews. He worked with Sir Richard Eyre again two years later on Macbeth, and went on to appear in the original West End run of Tom ...
Ptolemy the Cypriot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_of_Cyprus
Originally played by Graham Seed.
17. Michelle Keegan
Actress | Coronation Street
Michelle Keegan was born on June 3, 1987 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Our Girl (2013) and Drunk History: UK (2015). She has been married to Mark Wright since May 24, 2015.
Cleopatra VII
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra
Originally played by Michelle Newell.
In honesty I would never even have considered Michelle Keegan for the role until I saw her recently in Our Girl, but after watching that I believe she would have what it takes to play the Cleopatra (so long as she doesn’t use her natural accent, of course).
18. Tom Taylor
Actor | The Dark Tower
Tom Taylor is an English actor born on 16 July 2001. Born in Surrey, England, Tom attended drama school up until 2013. After being informed about an agent visiting the drama school, Tom returned to audition for the agent, leading to his first professional screen role. In 2015, Tom portrayed young ...
Ptolemy XIII
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_XIII_Theos_Philopator
Originally played by Daniel Beales.
I first saw Tom in 'Doctor Foster' and he has since been cast as a leading role in the upcoming movie 'The Dark Tower', and is a wonderful young actor.
19. Nicholas Croucher
Actor | The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Nicholas Croucher is known for The French Dispatch (2021), Spy (2011) and The Magicians (2015).
Ptolemy XIV
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_XIV_of_Egypt
Originally played by Lauren Beales.
I had initially thought that the series might require two actors to play Ptolemy XIV; one to play the younger boy of around twelve (in the episode dealing with the Alexandrine War) and perhaps another to play him as an older teen of fifteen (for the visit to Rome and his death). But on reflection, perhaps one could just cast a boy of thirteen or fourteen and have him play the role throughout.
20. Otto Farrant
Actor | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Otto Farrant was born on November 13, 1996 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), War & Peace (2016) and The White Queen (2013).
Ptolemy XV Caesarion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarion
There would probably need to be a number of actors for the role of Caesarion as he grows from a child to a teen over the timeline of the series. However, the historical Caesarion was seventeen-years-old when he was killed, which has never been accurately shown on screen as he is usually depicted as about twelve at the oldest. I would like very much for Caesarion to be played by a teen who could portray him accurately roughly from the Donations of Alexandria through to his death.
21. Stephen Fry
Actor | Gosford Park
Writer, actor, comedian, doer of good works, excellent good friend to the famous and not, Fry lives in his London SW1 flat and his Norfolk house when not traveling. Famous for his public declaration of celibacy in the "Tatler" back in the 1980s, Emma Thompson has characterised her friend as "90 ...
Pothinus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothinus
Originally played by Stephen Fry.
I think Stephen Fry would be a wonderful Pothinus; the scheming Eunuch who tried to dethrone Cleopatra. However, I have always imagined Pothinus as being bald (in the way that eunuch courtiers so often are depicted, in 'Rome' and 'Game of Thrones', for example), so Stephen would need to either shave his head or wear a skull cap for the role.
22. Mark Gatiss
Actor | The League of Gentlemen
Mark Gatiss is an accomplished author, actor and playwright. Originally from Sedgefield, County Durham, he graduated from Bretton Hall Drama College with a BA (honors) in Theatre Arts.
He was one-quarter of the award-winning comedy team The League of Gentlemen (1999), and became heavily involved in ...
Theodotus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodotus_of_Chios
Originally played by Graham Crowden.
23. Shaun Dooley
Actor | Kandahar Break
Shaun was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, to Ann and Denis Dooley. He is an actor known for Misfits (2009).
He has two younger sisters, Stephanie Dooley and Kimberly Dooley.
Shaun is married to Polly Dooley.
Despite living in London, Shaun still attends all of Barnsley FC's home games.
Shaun won the...
Achillas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillas
Originally played by Tony Caunter.
24. David Oakes
Actor | Vikings: Valhalla
David Oakes is a British actor who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and graduated in 2007. He is represented by Conway Van Gelder Grant Inc.
Before training professionally as an actor he studied at Manchester University where he received a first class degree in English and Drama. David ...
Demetrius II Nicator
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_II_Nicator
Originally played by Stephen Greif.
In addition to the adult Demetrius played by David Oakes, my idea to open the series with the Battle of Antioch would also require the casting of a younger Demetrius, who was fourteen-years-old when he participated in said battle and took the Seleucid throne.
25. Maxim Baldry
Actor | Years and Years
Maxim Baldry was born in 1996 in Surrey South Eastern, Surrey, to an English father and a Russian-born mother. He lived in Moscow and Warsaw for the first seven years of his life, and moved back to England in 2003. He became interested in acting from a very young age. He was involved in many ...
Antiochus VIII Grypus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_VIII_Grypus
Originally played by James Aubrey.
When Grypus came to the throne he was only a teenager (and thus easy for his mother to control him), but by later on in the series he is a decade older, so rather than casting two actors (a teen and an adult), I’d probably cast an actor in his ealy twenties who could portray a young, easily-controlled man, and then also as a more mature ruler later (perhaps with the addition of facial hair to add to aging process).
Max Baldry played Caesarion in HBO’s 'Rome' series, and was absolutely brilliant.
26. Karl Davies
Actor | Happy Valley
Karl Davies was born on August 6, 1982 in Manchester, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Happy Valley (2014), Chernobyl (2019) and Game of Thrones (2011).
Alexander Zabinas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_II_Zabinas
Originally played by Donald MacIver.
27. Joe Dempsie
Actor | Skins
Joseph Maxwell Dempsie is an English actor, best known for his roles as Chris Miles in the E4 teen comedy-drama Skins (2007-2008) and Gendry Baratheon in Game of Thrones (2011-2013; 2017-2019). Dempsie's earlier acting credits include the medical dramas Peak Practice (2000), Doctors (2001-2003), ...
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IX_Cyzicenus
Originally played by Granville Saxton.
28. Rupert Graves
Actor | Sherlock
Britain's Rupert Graves made his professional stage debut in 1983 in The Killing of Mr. Toad and went on to co-star with Harvey Fierstein in the London production of Torch Song Trilogy. By the mid-80s he was a presence in quality films and TV, including Merchant Ivory films Room With A View where ...
Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scipio_Aemilianus
Originally played by Geoffrey Whitehead.
29. Max Irons
Actor | Condor
Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons is an English-Irish actor and model. He is known for his roles in Red Riding Hood (2011), The White Queen and The Host (2013), Woman in Gold and The Riot Club (2014), his first leading role in Bitter Harvest (2017), and The Wife (2018). Irons also played the lead role...
Gnaeus Pompey Junior
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnaeus_Pompeius_(son_of_Pompey_the_Great)
Originally played by Phillip Cade.
Since the role of Pompey Junior is just a cameo in one episode, it is unlikely that an actor of Max Irons’s calibre would actually do it, but I believe that Max Irons or someone like him would be an ideal choice for the cocky son of the great Pompey who attempted to seduce Cleopatra in order to secure aid in his father’s civil war.
30. Ralph Fiennes
Actor | The Constant Gardener
Actor Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962 in Suffolk, England, to Jennifer Anne Mary Alleyne (Lash), a novelist, and Mark Fiennes, a photographer. He is the eldest of six children. Four of his siblings are also in the arts: Martha Fiennes, a director; Magnus ...
Julius Caesar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar
Originally played by Robert Hardy.
For years I have said that Ralph Fiennes would make a perfect Caesar, so if I were given the chance I would definitely cast him as the most famous Roman of them all.
31. Hugh Bonneville
Actor | Downton Abbey
Hugh Bonneville is a British actor, known for his stage work at the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company as well as the West End. His extensive film and television work includes Twenty Twelve, W1A, Downton Abbey, Paddington, The Gold and I Came By. See his website hughbonneville.uk for ...
Cicero
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero
Originally played by Manning Wilson.
32. Michiel Huisman
Actor | Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire
Michiel Huisman boasts an extensive career on both the small and large screen. He is currently shooting a lead role in Zack Snyder's film Rebel Moon for Netflix. He will next be seen as "Prince" in the Apple TV series Echo 3 opposite Luke Evans and created by Mark Boal. Most recently, he was seen ...
Marc Antony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Antony
Originally played by Christopher Neame.
I certainly wouldn’t intend for my version of 'The Cleopatras' to just recycle the entire cast of 'Game of Thrones', despite there being a number of actors on this list already who appeared in that show (it’s not my fault that the HBO series casts so many good actors!). Having said that, I believe that Michael Huisman would be perfect as Marc Antony (provided he gets rid of the beard, of course).
33. Tom Felton
Actor | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Tom Felton was born in Epsom, Surrey, to Sharon and Peter Felton. He has been acting since he was 8 years old at the suggestion of an actress friend of his family who recognized Felton's theatrical qualities. Felton met with an agent, and two weeks later, after auditioning with over 400 other ...
Octavian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus
Originally played by Rupert Frazer.
It’s possible that two Octavians would be needed for the series; one teenaged Octavian (if he appears in the scenes during Cleopatra’s visit to Rome); and an older Octavian in his late twenties for the final war between Rome and Egypt. Obviously Tom Felton would portray the older Octavian.
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